Thursday, Week 33:

Daily Comments:
My six week recovery from surgery ended yesterday.  During this six weeks I have not only fell off the wagon, I walked away from the wagon.  I have gained 8 pounds.  I have enjoyed numerous, excellent tasting, chocolate chip cookies and lots of good food.

This morning I did not get out of bed in time to start back with my Kettlebells but I did pick up my 10 lb. Kettlebell and passed it around my body 5 or 6 times.  It was heavy!  I can tell I have a long way back to where I was before surgery.  I have got to find my gumption to get there.

I will weight in this Saturday and on Sunday, Week 34, I will start the hike back to the wagon.  I will start logging my food once again.  Logging my food makes the biggest difference in my weight loss.  I will start my Kettlebells (maybe 5 lbs) again.  I will start "The Plank" again.  I may only be able to do 15 seconds but I will build up my time.  I love being in my size 12 pants and I want to continue my weight loss journey.

I encourage you to continue on your weight loss journey.  It is a journey.  Not a struggle.  Not a pain. Not a restriction.  It is a journey of making excellent choices.  Do not cut out everything, just account for it.  Eating well makes you feel good.  Fruits and vegetables taste great!!  How many have you eaten today?

Inspirational Thought:
Ephesians 1: 3-14
³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he^[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship^[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he^[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
 ¹¹ In him we were also chosen,^[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Wednesday, Week 32:

 Daily Comments:
 Steve, Marty , and I left work at 4:00 today and went to the shooting range.  We shot my .38 special, 357 Magnum with .38 caliber bullets, and my 9 shot .22 pistol.  Here is a picture of Marty shooting.

While I was at the shooting center, I signed up for a class to be held on April 16th, "Ladies-Intro to Defensive Pistol".  See the link below.  I can't wait.
http://360tacticaltraining.com/index.php/classes/detail/ladies_only_intro_to_defensive_pistol/

Pepaw is working on putting together a pistol cleaning kit just for me that will have all that is needed for cleaning .22's, 38's, and 9mm.  I have not bought my Walther yet.  I am not sure which one is going to be perfect for me.  Steve said I need to go to a gun store and touch 'em, hold 'em, squeeze 'em and see which one feels right.

I am feeling better!  A week and a half and maybe I can start back on my Kettlebells!!

Inspirational Thought:
Dedicated to Mom!
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmAi_qJoPbU&list=PL617792885415F918&index=10&feature=plpp_video


Food Diary:
Breakfast:  70 calorie Peach Activia, toast and 1 tsp Country Crock
Lunch:  Pradaria, meat and salad
Dinner:  Made made beef and vegetable soup

Tuesday, Week 32:

Inspirational Thought: 
Carrie Underwood... Wow!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk&feature=related


Food Diary:
Breakfast:  100 calorie bagel with cream cheese, two eggs
Lunch:  Caribbean Salad with grilled chicken at Chili's
Snack:  M&M's
Dinner:  Porkloin, a little macaroni and cheese, field peas

Monday, Week 32:

(Week 5 after surgery)
Daily Comments:
Day Light Saving Time... Woo Hoo!!  I love all the extra sunlight.  It makes it easier to walk away from the T.V. and enjoy the outside.  I look forward to walking and riding a bike outside when the weather is not wet and cold.  Working in the yard to redo my flowerbeds sounds inviting too.  At work I have an office with three large window.  I open the blinds everyday so that even though I am inside I am enjoying the day.

Saturday was such a busy day for me.  I cleaned house almost all day.  It had been 5 or 6 weeks since I "really" cleaned.  Man!!  It is sparkling right now.  I was worn out from all the cleaning but not before I sat down with Pepaw and learned the fine art of gun cleaning and the name of all the parts of the gun and how to break one of the automatics down and put it back together.  I had so much fun!!  I can't wait to dirty them up and clean them again.

Sunday was busy as well.  Worship is always great!  Marty and I had lunch at Olive Garden and that is always good.  Then I ran errands.  To PetSmart for dog nail clippers and of course dog toys.  To the Bible Book store and bought a bible bag that looks like a small Brighton purse.  I love it!  It has a small cross with a heart on the front.  It looked like this but ALL black.

 Then off to the grocery store for the weekly supplies to fill the frig and cabinets.  The family came over for T-bone steaks on the grill.  Anthony, my grandson, cooked.  He is a good cook!!  I will buy the meat and he can cook any day.

Arianna is growing so fast.  She is 6 months now.   Take a look at this!!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=2777978249999&set=vb.1274401548&type=2&theater

 


Inspirational Thought: 

Here is good music for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqw22vf-Mbk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhuHOz9-W98&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpaJNVkEfbE&feature=related


Food Diary:
Breakfast:  Sugar free oatmeal and 100 calorie bagel with cream cheese
Lunch:  Ham and green beans
Snack:  M&M's
Dinner:  Crawfish and Oysters on the half shell... Yummm!

Friday, Week 31:

Daily Comments:
I love Fridays!  The weather is getting a little cold and very wet but tomorrow is Saturday.  Yea!!  It will be a busy day of cleaning house, bathing the dogs, getting my nails done, grocery shopping, and anything else I can squeeze into the day.   Pepaw is going to teach me how to clean my gun.  Maybe I can squeeze that in on Saturday.  Pepaw is excellent with guns.  It has been his hobby for years.

Tonight is a Fish Fry Fundraiser honoring Judge Gary Janssen, a long time friend.  I am looking forward to the Fish Fry gathering but I can't wait to go home and get in my sweats and be warm and lazy.  I do not like cold weather.

Inspirational Thought:  
"A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools." Spanish Proverb


"Health is not valued till sickness comes." Dr. Thomas Fuller

"Good friends are good for your health." Irwin Sarason  

2 Corinthians 1

Praise to the God of All Comfort

 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Food Diary: 
Breakfast:  Sugar free Oatmeal and toast with 1 tsp country crock
Lunch:Chinese food
Snack:Mixed nuts
Dinner:Fish Fry

Thursday, Week 31:

Daily Comments:
Here is a picture of me that my son Marty took yesterday at the shooting range.  I was having so much fun while we were there that I didn't even think about taking pictures.  I will next time!

I have been talking to Steve today about getting me a Walther PPK .32.  A new hobby... What fun!

I paid to receive the magazine Women's Health and a side benefit of that is that I receive some really good emails on exercising, nutrition, food preparation, makeup, and much more.  Even though I am not exercising yet (2 more weeks of recovery) I have been reading all my Women's Health emails.  Here is one article that I can not wait to try along with getting back to "the Plank" that I was doing.  There is a real thrill to increasing your time and endurance on an exercise like the Plank even if it is only increases of seconds.
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/yoga/yoga-workout-for-your-abs?cm_mmc=Newsletter-_-839754-_-03082012-_-ReadMore&smartcode=NLS839754

Inspirational Thought:
²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. -Galatians 2:20_

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3: 16-17

Food Diary: 
Breakfast:  Sugar free Oatmeal and toast with 1 tsp country crock, 1/2 glass light grape juice
Lunch:  Luby's cafeteria; Cole Slaw, Broccoli, Green Beans, Fried Okra, Cabbage and apple cobbler
Snack:  Mixed nuts
Dinner:  Pork Tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and field peas

Wednesday, Week 31:

Daily Comments: 
I had a wonderfully busy day!  Whew!!  I was busy inputting data all day at work.  I enjoyed Chili's for lunch with my husband Steve and son Marty.  We had great conversation at lunch time.  It is so nice to love spending time with family!!

We left work early today and went to the shooting range.  We shot my 38 pistol, 22 pistol, a 22 automatic, a 22 rifle, and a Barretta 9ml assault rifle (that a friend brought) at paper targets.  The shooting range was indoors where you could use a handle to crank the target down the range and back to you so that you could see how well you shot and change your targets.  It was fun!  Steve, or course, was a very good shot.  Marty did great!  He said he learned shooting in Boy Scouts.  Man!! He could cluster his shots on the target.  He shot in a half circle around one of the small circle targets that would have been a complete circle if he had had enough shots.  I, however, need to improve!!  We are going to try and go once a month.  Yea!!

Next, was Wednesday night church.  I met with our audio/visual guy at our church.  He is awesome!  Instead of having announcements given by individuals in front of the auditorium on Sunday mornings, our announcements run visually so that everything is planned out ahead of time.  They are awesome!  Take a moment and see a sample below of our announcements... Mine is the Egg Hunt. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS--EggLt9c&list=UUofntGA5AxkboKiq9df0Ncg&index=1&feature=plcp

Dinner afterwards was at Zorros, a neighborhood Mexican restaurant.  It is literally inside the neighborhood.  Mmm!  It was delicious!!  When we got home, we caught the end of American Idol and then Psych before turning in.  What a full day!!

Inspirational Thought:  
" Those who don't plan for their future are not interested in their future!"
Zig Ziglar 

" You may not be responsible for being knocked down, but you are responsible for getting back up!"
Written in 2012 by Lanre Success --- Nigeria

" Success comes through Dedication, Determination, and Discipline & Desire."
Author Unknown 

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU." 6 So we may boldly say: "THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT FEAR. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?" 

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Food Diary: 
Breakfast:  Two eggs, toast with Country crock spread, 1/2 glass of Light Grape Juice
Lunch:  Chili's Caribbean Salad (Mmmm good!)
Snack:  A few mixed nuts
Dinner:  Zorro's Chicken Taco and Salad (Gooooood!)

Tuesday , Week 31:

Daily Comments: 
It feels good to get my head back around where I am going and what I am doing.  I ate well today!  I am very tired will post more tomorrow.  I am going to bed.



Inspirational Thought: 
I can do all thing through Christ that give me strength.  Philippians 4:13


Food Diary: 
Breakfast -an apple, 1/2 light grape juice, fruit smoothie
Snack -Hot Blueberry tea with Splenda
Lunch -Chicken taco, a few chips and hot sauce
Snack -1/2 bag of 100 calorie popcorn
Dinner -Saltgrass steak, salad, asparagus, and a few fried mushrooms

Monday, Week 31:

(Week 4 after surgery.)
Daily Comments:
It is so difficult to get motivated after surgery when all you feel like doing is sitting and/or sleeping.  It may be the same for you just trying to get motivated to lose weight.  I think it starts with being positive.  Having a positive mental state that you can get through this, that you have a vision in mind, and that with the Lord's help... You can do this!!

If I think positive, I am doing so much better than I was just two short weeks ago.  I am no longer wearing a wrap around my abdomen.  I am walking without wincing.  I am walking faster... that's huge!  I am not in constant pain.  I have some slight pain still and I guess that is what still needs to heal.  I have some stitches that are going to dissolve on their own but I still have them.  I have gained a few pounds, some of which could be swelling and residual surgery stuff.  But... if I am truthful... I think it's the cookies and bad eating I have been doing while I have been feeling bad.

But TODAY... is a new day!!  I must get my positive mental state back.  I must get my head thinking about that next weigh loss goal I want to achieve.  I must think about losing these extra pounds I put on during recovery.  I must think about where I came from (size 16 pants) to where I am now (size 12 pants) and to where I want to go.   I have two and a half weeks left of recovery and during that time I am going to start walking on my tread mill and building up my endurance and get back to recording all that I am eating.  I can do this!


Inspirational Thought:  
Soul Link was awesome!  The theme was "A Frayed Knot!"  a study on "Be not afraid".  Whatever barriers you have built up... with God you can tear down those walls and move past, move ahead, do bigger and better things.  I know that was aimed at our spiritual life but.. doesn't that sound like what we need to do with our weight loss goals.  "Be not afraid"... tear down whatever walls are keeping us from losing weight, tear down our walls and let God move us to bigger and better things including weight loss.  We can do this!

Here is a short video (two views) someone captured on Sunday morning during worship as part of our Soul Link 2012 weekend.  See what we saw when our FEARS were turned into HOPE.

(Expand the video to "Full Screen" so you can see what is happening.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mwv3MIPBAU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=iak3WX6fQ4I


Food Diary: 
Breakfast:  Sugar Free Oatmeal and toast with Country Crock, 1/2 cup of light Grape Juice
Lunch:  Baked Potato and green beans
Dinner:  Oysters, Boiled Craw-fish, salad, and bread at Pappadeaux's